]]>A big welcome to the newest member of the team, Shannon. Shannon is here as our new Digital Marketing specialist. She will run the Twitter and Facebook accounts, as well as doing web design, adwords and Google analytics.

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]]>For a long time, Microsoft Office has been synonymous with business environment computing. Whether it’s used for editing documents in Word, spreadsheets in Excel or presentations in PowerPoint, the powerful and all-encompassing suite of applications is a staple of workplaces across the world. But what if it could extend further than that? What if your employees could keep working wherever they are: not just on PCs and laptops within the confines of the office, but on their home computers, on tablets and mobile phones, even on the guest PC in a hotel lobby?

That utopian scenario already exists. With Office 365, Microsoft has taken the applications we all know so well and uploaded them to the cloud. It’s not just change for change’s sake. It gives users the freedom to work when and where is most appropriate; it provides a place to keep important files safe, backed up and always easily accessible; and it gives admins more control over rollouts, upgrades and the advanced power that Office can bring to teams within large businesses.

Office 365 could revolutionise the way you think about a familiar suite of applications you’ve been using for decades – and this all-new cloud approach could transform how your business works.

Anywhere access

Let’s start with a benefit that affects both you and your users: the ability to work anywhere.

The plethora of new features and tools built into these new programs may alone be enough to tempt you into an upgrade, but you’re missing out if all you do is treat Office 365 as a more flexible way to buy the traditional Office apps.

It’s the shift to a cloud focus that makes Office an incredibly flexible tool for employees in the workplace and on the move. Files will always be ready and waiting, as by default they’re stored and kept in sync in the user’s online SkyDrive storage locker. With SkyDrive Pro for businesses offering centrally managed storage too, the days of sharing files by FTP, email or USB stick are long gone.

And instead of an activation key locking applications to the computer on which they’re installed, each Office 365 subscription is tied only to a user account – so all a roaming employee needs to get quickly up and running in a new location is an internet connection, and wherever they choose to work, it’s their Office. Customisations and user settings follow employees from PC to PC, minimising the time taken to get into full flow.

The implications for mobile working are tremendous. By logging in and accessing the powerful new Office on Demand service, employees can stream a temporary, fully personalised instance of any of the core Office applications to their screen, then create, edit and present a document and log back out to automatically remove all personal data – and that’s all using whatever hardware happens to be available at the time. It brings a whole new level of professionalism and smoothness to the impromptu presentation pitch.

Hosting files in SkyDrive makes sharing a simple matter of inviting other users to view or edit files – and they can all do so simultaneously, with their updates appearing beside your own input. In this single move you avoid the problem of duplicate files, but it also has another benefit: it brings in those who don’t have access to Office. Using Office Web Apps – trimmed down versions of the core applications designed to run entirely within a web browser – all invitees can open and work on files just like those directly within the team, and they will work on pretty much any PC, Mac and mobile device with a web browser.

The possibilities for effective collaboration are huge, from sharing OneNote meeting notes directly via an Outlook appointment to group-polishing that vital proposal document in real-time, wherever group members happen to be and whichever department or company they happen to work for.

Which brings us to one of the powerful tools more commonly associated with enterprise IT setups: HD video and web conferences on demand. Up to 250 people can take part at once, so you could share your screen and even give access to a document you’re working on. Thanks to Lync, you can call other Lync users from your PC and instantly see their status.

Easy admin

Employees will benefit from the move to Office 365, and administrators will like the changes too. Not only is Office 365 incredibly simple to install and deploy across a workforce, it’s also automatically kept up to date. No more roll outs of big updates from Microsoft; every Office 365 user can receive the latest features and fixes automatically as and when they’re made available online.

Office 365 includes enterprise-grade antivirus and anti-spam filtering for its powerful business email, which can include Active Directory synchronisation for easy management of user identities across different installations. Email accounts come with 25GB of storage, and if you’re currently imposing stringent limits on attachment sizes then your users may well be delighted to find they can send files up to 25MB in size.

Team features include free hosting for a brand website with your own domain, and it takes no time at all to add and maintain a large number of users. All SkyDrive files are privately and securely stored at data centres across the world, and Microsoft proactively monitors the service for malicious activity and guarantees 99.9% up-time for peace of mind. It’s fair to say security and maintenance have seen a great deal of attention during the development of Office 365. Plus, mobile devices can be remotely wiped if lost, and user accounts can be restored for a month after deleting.

Efficient running

So that’s the new Office. It includes the applications that users are already so familiar with, but extends them beyond their current limits thanks to the use of the cloud. Whatever the size of your business, Office 365 is fully capable of transforming it for better. Whether it’s the powerful enterprise team tools and advanced email, employee freedom to work productively in and out of the office, or modern methods of collaboration that a cloud service allows, everything within Office 365 is set up to be as efficient, productive and flexible as possible. With a wide range of scalable subscription options too, it could save your business money as well as time, but most important of all it will help your employees concentrate on the tasks you’re paying them for – no matter where they happen to be.

NKC Group Cloud experts can support and guide your company to achieve this flexible, cost effective and very productive way of getting the most of a secure cloud service and familiar Office applications. Call NKC group on 0161 820 9333.

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Chris

]]>Office 2003 and Windows XP – Support Ends April 8, 2014

Why is Microsoft ending support for Windows XP and Office 2003?

In 2002 Microsoft introduced its Support Lifecycle policy based on customer feedback to have more transparency and predictability of support for Microsoft products. As part of this policy, Microsoft products, including Windows and Office products, receive a minimum of 10 years of support (5 years Mainstream Support and 5 years Extended Support), at the supported service pack level.

Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will go out of support on April 8, 2014. If your organisation has not started the migration to a modern desktop, you are late. On average customer deployment can take 18 to 32 months. To ensure you remain on supported versions of Windows and Office, you should begin your planning and application testing immediately to ensure you deploy before end of support.

What does end of support mean to customers?

It means you should take action. After April 8, 2014, there will be no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates.

Running Windows XP and Office 2003 in your environment after their end of support date may expose your company to potential risks, such as:

Security & Compliance Risks:Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks. This may result in an officially recognized control failure by an internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of certifications, and/or public notification of the organization’s inability to maintain its systems and customer information.

Lack of Software & Hardware Manufacturers support:A recent industry report suggests many software vendors are unlikely to support new versions of applications on Windows XP. And it may stifle access to hardware innovation: Research further notes that in 2012, most PC hardware manufacturers will stop supporting Windows XP on the majority of their new PC models.

Get current with Windows and Office. This option has upside well beyond keeping you supported. It offers more flexibility to empower employees to be more productive, while increasing operational efficiency through improved PC security and management. It also enables your organization to take advantage of latest technology trends such as virtualization and the cloud.

How do I begin my migration?

NKC Group has a dedicated migration team awaiting your call. We have years of experience to make sure your business faces the minimum amount of disruption during the migration. Call us today on 01260 217 917

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You want a company that is close enough to respond quickly but large enough to have the skills to fix your problems when they do turn up?

Well you are in the right place we are a national IT Support company with local IT support knowledge.

So whether you’re in Aberdeen or Anglesey, Yarmouth or York, We will have a local IT support specialist in your area.

We have a service center in Cheshire were our Microsoft certified engineers fix 86% of all calls without a engineer being dispatched to site and if we do need an engineer we can generally have someone on site in 4 hours.

All of our local IT support specialists are trained to the highest standard and have a minimum of 5 years industry experience.

Our local IT support specialists must complete 6 months in our service center, under the watchful eye of our Technical Manger Carl Enser to make sure they are up to our high standards.

So if you want that national reach with the local response call us today on 01260 217 917

Keep Calm and Let a Local IT Support Company Fix your problem

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Chris

]]>http://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/local-it-support/feed/0Why do I need an IT Support Contract?http://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/why-do-i-need-an-it-support-contract/
http://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/why-do-i-need-an-it-support-contract/#commentsTue, 18 Dec 2012 15:16:36 +0000http://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/?p=863Read More

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Chris

]]>At some point you may have wondered if you need IT support or why you would need an IT support contract. Some companies offer it like insurance, you get help when there’s a problem.

IT support is important whatever the size of your business. Small companies often cannot justify employing an IT expert and this often causes huge problems when they experience IT problems, need updates or just require advice on the best way forward to improve the efficiency of their operation.

This is where the benefits of an IT Support contract start to make a real difference. An IT support contract provides a company with time and resources to solve problems before they start, provides essential support to update and maintain equipment, and provides valuable money saving solutions.

Having an IT Support contract means that you have the peace of mind that you have a team of skilled engineers ready to respond when you encounter a problem. Having someone who knows your network, what hardware you have and how it is used will allow for a much faster fault resolution. Being in a situation where you need to call in an unknown company to resolve your problems is often a recipe for disaster.

Let’s look at 2 scenarios: With and Without a support contract.

First, with:

[rb_list type=”arrow”][rb_list_item]The client gets support and maintenance when they need it, within defined timescales[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Proactive Support[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]The client doesn’t need to worry when or whether something will be done[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]The IT Support provider can plan and manage work sent by its clients realistically[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Both parties operate transparently[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Satisfaction is improved; Results are better[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Set monthly fees[/rb_list_item][/rb_list]

And without:
[rb_list type=”arrow”][rb_list_item]The support company may not be able to schedule the work for some time[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Bills are unpredictable[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]The support is reactive not proactive[/rb_list_item][/rb_list]

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Chris

]]>http://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/why-do-i-need-an-it-support-contract/feed/06 Reasons we are the best IT Support company in Manchester, Chester and maybe the worldhttp://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/6-reasons-we-are-the-best-it-support-company-in-manchester-chester-and-maybe-the-world/
http://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/6-reasons-we-are-the-best-it-support-company-in-manchester-chester-and-maybe-the-world/#commentsWed, 21 Nov 2012 14:37:56 +0000http://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/?p=812Read More

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]]>1. We only hire the best -We hire the best and brightest from Manchester and Cheshire.

All our team are highly skilled individuals from but most importantly our team is full of passion for technology. We get excited by technology, in fact the most requested day off in NKC groups history was the day Windows 8 was release as all our super geeks wanted to stay at home and play. This is why our team are great at IT support.

2. We are Multi lingual – We speak not only English but we also speak geek. (Our Cloud Computing Guru, Carl Enser claims to also speak ‘Proper Manc’ being a Manchester lad)

Our team have an excellent understanding of all things techie and have an amazing way of communicating the most technical things in plain old English.

Now how many IT support companies can do that?

3. Location, Location, Location – We believe we are ideally placed to provide the best support to our Manchester and Cheshire based customers.

We run our helpdesk from our head office just off the M6 near Congleton; from here our engineer can be onsite in Manchester and Chester within the hour.

As you would expect we also have guys in the field who are constantly in and around the Manchester and Chester area and can often be on-site within 30 minutes.

Our current record is being onsite in 3 minutes as we were installing a new pc on the ground floor of a Manchester business centre and received a call from our client on the first floor with a print problem. We would have been there sooner but the lift was slow.

Where is your IT Support Company based?

4. We are faster than Usain Bolt – Ok maybe not faster than Usain but we are pretty quick, we pride ourselves on our response times. If you have a system problem we guarantee to have a qualified engineer on the phone to you within 10 minutes.

How long do you wait for IT Support?

5. Fixed Price IT – This is our favourite talking point all our support contracts and fixed price, so no matter what goes wrong you’re covered for a low monthly fee, if fact we can support you for less than a £1 a day.

6. Cloud Specialists – When it comes to the Cloud what we don’t know isn’t worth knowing. We have successfully moved hundreds of people to the Cloud, whether you’re a Chester based firm of solicitors, a Macclesfield estate agents or a Manchester recruitment company we have moved companies of all shapes and sizes to the Cloud to improve IT performance and reduce costs.

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Chris

]]>http://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/6-reasons-we-are-the-best-it-support-company-in-manchester-chester-and-maybe-the-world/feed/0sNOw way we will be stoppedhttp://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/snow-way-we-will-be-stopped/
http://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/snow-way-we-will-be-stopped/#commentsMon, 12 Nov 2012 12:20:30 +0000http://www.nkcgroup.co.uk/?p=805Read More

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Chris

]]>With the winter drawing in and snow already landing on our shores how will your business survive the snow? Last year snow caused millions of people unable to make it to the office, with our cloud system ‘Office 365’ you can work from anywhere at any time. So contact us and try Office 365 now.

Office 365 will let you:

[rb_list type=”circles”][rb_list_item]Get the latest features from Microsoft® Exchange Online, including 25GB mailboxes and always up-to-date antivirus and anti-spam solutions.
• Share documents and insights with colleagues, partners and customers to help teams to stay in sync.
• Move easily from instant messaging into ad-hoc online meetings that include audio, video and screen sharing with just a few mouse clicks.
• Get Microsoft® Office Professional Plus.[/rb_list_item][/rb_list]

]]>Well it’s that time of the year again when Movember strikes. This year both myself and Carl will be part of the Movember cause and try and grow the best tash (or Mo) as possible. Check back every couple of days and we’ll have updates galore.